The Art of Life (72 page)

               
“Hello kids,” he quips.

               
“Hey,” Eric replies, hesitantly.

               
Jeremy smiles.
 
“Did you have fun?”

               
There is nothing amusing about
this.
 
“Yes,” I hiss.
 
“I was just saying good bye to Eric.”

               
“Well, don’t let me interrupt
you,” Jeremy says, grinning even bigger.
 
He shuts the door, and we watch him walk back to the house.
 
Then for no apparent reason, he takes his
shirt off and drapes it over his shoulder.

               
“I feel very inadequate
suddenly,” Eric chuckles.

               
I just place my face into my
hands.
 
“There is no excuse for him.
 
I am sorry.”

               
“No, I mean, I should work out
with him sometime.
 
I would get more
dates if I looked like that.”

               
Pulling my hands away, I look at
Eric.
 
“Please, you do not have a hard
time getting dates.
 
I have a hard time
getting dates, actually have never had one.”
 
As the words come out of my mouth, horrification takes over.
 
“I mean….I
have
to
go,” I say abruptly, grabbing the door handle.

               
“Hey,” Eric says, grabbing my
arm.
 
“Why are you running off?
 
It’s alright.
 
You don’t need to be shy with me, Isabelle.”

               
“I just……I am not used to being
around guys.
 
The only experience is with
Jeremy and his friends.
 
Kent and Josh
are like older brothers and Jeremy….is well Jeremy.
 
So, I guess what I am saying is that I don’t
know how to act around you.”

               
Eric gives me a soft smile.
 
“You just need to act like you.
 
Don’t be someone you aren’t.”

               
“I know,” I whisper.
 
“I did have a really fun time.
 
Thank you so much.”

               
He smiles in return.
 
“It was my pleasure.
 
We will have to do it again sometime.”

               
“Definitely,” I reply, returning
his smile.
 
“I had better get in before
Jeremy comes out to check on me.
 
He is a
little over protective and obnoxious.”

               
Nodding his head, Eric says,
“Alright, but what are you doing tomorrow?”

               
My heart stops.
 
“I have no idea.
 
Why?”

               
“We are going to a car show up
on the bluff.
 
Would you like to come?”

               
“Sure,” I answer.
 
“Though if it’s a car show,
Jeremy will probably want to come.”

               
With a slight grin, Eric
retorts, “I figured as much.
 
He is more
than welcome to join us.
 
Actually, Jack
may actually wet himself if Jeremy picks him up in his GTO.”

               
“Ugh,” I slowly let out.
 
“He really isn’t too keen on the idea of
taking it to a car show, but I can ask him.”

               
A slightly confused look passes
over Eric’s face.
 
“Okay, well text me
and let me know.
 
We are going up there
at 11.
 
I am supposed to pick up Jack at
10:30.”

               
“Well, if Jeremy is driving I
will have him pick you guys up around then.”

               
“Sounds good,” Eric states.
 
“Just let me know tonight or in the
morning.
 
Don’t tell Jack though if he
does bring the car.”

               
That makes me laugh.
 
“I won’t.
 
Thanks again for tonight.”

               
“Not a problem.
 
Talk to you later,” he says.

               
“Night,” I reply, getting out of
the car.
 
As I walk up to the house, I
can help but giggle.
 
When
I turn around as I get to the staircase, Eric waves and then pulls away.

               
I nearly sprint up the
stairs.
 
When I open the door, I yell,
“Jeremy!”
 
There is no response but I
hear the shower going.
 
I go over to the
door and knock on it.

               
“Yes?” I get as a response.

               
“Are you in the shower, like IN
the shower?” I shout.

               
“Yeah, why?”

               
Opening the door, I walk in. “Oh
my gosh
!
 
I
could kill you.
 
Why did you take your
shirt off!?
 
Was that really necessary?”

               
“What? I was hot,” Jeremy
laughs.

               
“You were not!” I growl.
 
“You were just trying to show off and make me
uncomfortable.”

               
There is a snicker.
 
“Did it work?”

               
“Yes, you jerk!
 
Anyway, that’s not what I came in here to
talk to you about.”

               
Jeremy sighs, “I am surprised
you even came in here.
 
It’s nice to know
you are more comfortable.
 
Now, you just
have to get used to seeing me naked.”

               
“Shut up!
 
Don’t you
dare!
” I
snap.

               
“
Ffffiinnnnneee
,”
he draws out.
 
“What did you want to talk
about?”

               
Shuffling my feet, I reply,
“Eric asked me to do something tomorrow.”

               
After a pause, Jeremy says,
“Okay, like a date?”

               
“Unless you
and Jack are our chaperones, no.”

               
“What are WE doing tomorrow
then?” Jeremy asks.

               
I bite my lip.
 
“Eric wants to take me to the car show,
and……he was wondering if we could take….your…car.”
 
There is just dead silence as I hear the
water run.
 
“I told him that you won’t
take it to car shows, so I don’t think he will be surprised by your answer.”

               
“
Mmmm
,
well, no I don’t take it to car shows, but…..if it helps you I will.”

               
My jaw drops a little.
 
“I don’t know if it will help me, but it
would probably make their day.”

               
With a heavy sigh, Jeremy
mumbles, “I thought about a lot when I was running.
 
What you said about Kaitlin earlier, that she
wouldn’t want me celebrating her life by getting wasted.
 
You made a really good point.
 
She wanted me to live my life for both of us,
and I haven’t been doing that.
 
I have
been hiding in a hole.”

               
“You haven’t been hiding in a
hole, but you really haven’t been putting yourself out there either.
 
I mean, I am the only one you have been
remotely close to since her death, right?”

               
“Pretty much,” he retorts.
 
“You are good for me Isabelle.
 
I think you are going to breathe some life
back into me.”

               
Putting my hand on my chest, I
just stare at the curtain.
 
“That is
really sweet.”

               
“Well, it’s true,” he
states.
 
I hear the water shut off, and
see his hand grab his towel.
 
“Now, I
need to get out of here.
 
I do have a
towel on, but that usually makes you freak.”

               
My heart jumps a little.
 
“It’s fine.”

               
He pulls the curtain back and
says, “See, covered, no need to worry.”

               
“Thanks,” I whisper, blushing
hard.
 
“Anyway, you have everything you
need to live a fabulous life.
 
You should
do everything you can.”

               
“Yeah, once you finish school,
we will be on our way,” Jeremy replies with a smile.
 
“And I mean college.”

               
Rolling my eyes, I groan, “Don’t
be ridiculous, you will probably have a wife by then.”

               
“Well, we will see about that,”
he quietly laughs.
 
“So, you want to take
the GTO to the show then?”

               
“It would probably give me a few
more cool points,” I giggle.
 
“PPPLLLLLEEEEAAASSSEEEE?”

               
Jeremy bends over and kisses me
on the forehead.
 
“Anything for you
baby.”

               
“So, what do you want to do for
the rest of the evening?”

               
“Go make us some tea and meet me
in my room,” he replies.
 
My eyes don’t
move from him.
 
“Just do it.”

               
Okay.
 
I turn and leave the bathroom.
 
While I wait for the water
to heat, I kind of fidget with my fingers.
 
The last thing I want to do is get into a bed
with Jeremy.
 
I mean, okay, that’s a
lie.
 
The drive to get into a bed with
him is too strong to ignore, but I can’t do that to myself.
 
No more.
 
I just can’t.

               
Finally, I walk back down the
hallway, carefully carrying our cups of tea.
 
I find Jeremy with a wide array of stuff strewn across his bed.
 
Setting one of the cups down next to him, I
ask, “What’s all this?”

               
“Come, sit down, I will show
you.”

               
I go over to the other side of
the bed and sit down.
 
“Okay, what am I
looking at?”

               
Jeremy takes a deep breath and
says, “This is everything I have from Kaitlin.
 
I wanted to show you who she was.
 
I haven’t been able to share this with anyone and I think it’s better if
I just do it.
 
Kind of
like ripping off a band-aid.”

               
“Sounds good,” I say, leaning in
closer to him.
 
“Show me.”
 
We go through pictures first.
 
It actually makes me giggle a little
bit.
 
“You were pretty cute your whole
life Jeremy.”

               
“Not as fabulous as I am now,”
he says, pushing into me, “but I was alright.
 
I think Kaitlin was pretty, but she never, ever saw it.
 
That always broke my heart.”

               
Picking up a picture of her, I
say, “Honestly, she was very pretty.
 
Maybe not your typical pretty girl, but she was definitely cute.”

               
“Now, if I could get someone
else to see how pretty they really are, that would be great.”
 
Jeremy turns and looks at me.

               
“Shut up,” I hiss.
 
I pick up another picture.
 
“Is this her parents?”

               
With a heavy sigh, Jeremy
answers, “Yes.”
 
He pauses and then
whispers, “I miss them.”

               
“Then write a letter, better
yet, make a phone call!”

               
“I haven’t even read a letter
from them in six months,” he replies.